The newly-crowned “Ultimate Fighter” earned his UFC contract Friday
night at the reality show’s Season 15 finale, choking out fellow
finalist Al Iaquinta
in the co-main event at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. His
first-round submission of Iaquinta now official, “Maverick” says he
has much more to accomplish in the Octagon.

“I’m happy I won the show, but within a half hour, I already had my
next goals lined up. I’m ready to go to the UFC,” said Chiesa at
the post-fight press conference. “I want to become a contender. Now
that I’ve got the glass [‘TUF 15’ trophy], I’m on to my next goal,
and that is to start winning fights in the UFC.”

Chiesa suffered a serious emotional setback during his time on the
reality series when his father passed away shortly after he gained
entry into the ‘TUF’ house. Chiesa’s path to the finals was not a
smooth one, as the Washingtonian looked to be all but eliminated at
points during his quarter- and semifinal bouts before overcoming
Justin
Lawrence and James Vick to
earn his spot opposite Iaquinta at Friday night’s finale.

“Everybody who watched the season, they know what I was going
through,” said Chiesa. “Everyday, I had to just pull myself up and
push through and keep fighting. I know I’m not the most technical
guy, but just like Martin [Kampmann], you can’t count me out in a
fight. I’ll stay in there and find a way to win.”

Chiesa admitted during his post-fight interview that he felt
Iaquinta held a mental advantage over him prior to their contest.
Mental edge or no, Iaquinta could not prevent his bearded foe from
taking his back midway through the first round, as Chiesa dragged
the New Yorker to the canvas and sunk in both his hooks.

“I had a couple of rough sparring sessions with [Iaquinta] this
season. He is a very tough guy and very well-rounded. I saw no
holes in his game, and I thought this thing was going to go three
rounds and be a war. Fortunately, things went in my favor,” said
Chiesa. “I was just ready to move and react. I kind of had a
feeling he was going to try to take me down at some point. I will
have to go back and look at the fight. I don’t remember too much of
it, but I’m pleased with the outcome.”

Season 15 of the reality show marked the first time “TUF” had gone
live from week-to-week, meaning that as the season wound down,
fighters were required to compete more frequently. As a result,
Chiesa fought thrice in a four week span, while Iaquinta competed
in three consecutive weeks to conclude the season. Though the
experience undoubtedly proved taxing for both men, Chiesa says that
he knew what was in store when he joined the show.

“The guys who first struck dirt in this sport would fight three or
four times in a night. We all knew what we signed up for. That’s
the price you pay, but you have to trust in your skills and trust
your body,” said Chiesa. “We were a little beat up, so you just
want to rest your body and maintain your cardio. There’s not a lot
you can do in a week as far as improving your performance and
coming up with a game plan.”

The 13-week season now behind him, Chiesa says he plans to take
some time off to let his body recover from the rigors of competing
on the show. Though he did not make any demands in regard to his
sophomore UFC appearance, Chiesa did state that the UFC’s upcoming
trip to Nottingham, England, had caught his eye.

“I’m definitely going to take a little time off. I can tell my body
needs a little break,” said Chiesa. “I wouldn’t say no to fighting
on the [Sept. 29] card in Nottingham with [cast mate] Andy Ogle, but
that’s up to the UFC.”

Following Sunday’s UFC event, The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale in Las Vegas, several of the winning and losing fighters took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters. Chread news >>

Could the "American Gangster," Chael Sonnen, return to the cage for a comeback fight? While it's an idea that would certainly draw major interest, and it's one that's already been floated by Mike Robread news >>

Former PRIDE star and WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho once was one of the best fighters in the world, but never really achieved what his teammates expected him to. For years, training partners read news >>

George Sullivan has a new opponent for his upcoming UFC bout. With Marcio Alexandre Jr. out of the TUF 21 Finale card with an injury, Sullivan now faces promotional newcomer Dominic Waters. The matchread news >>

B.J. Penn is one of just two men to win UFC titles in two different weight classes. He has the most wins in UFC lightweight history and owns victories over some of the biggest names to ever step intoread news >>